Stephen King has released many well-known books. From ‘The Shining,’ to ‘IT,’ to ‘Cujo’ and so many more, he’s firmly ingrained in popular culture.
But some of his books never quite got the popularity they deserved, and sometimes, that’s because King decided to write under pseudonym. His pen name was ‘Richard Bachman,’ and under this name, he wrote Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982), Thinner (1984), The Regulators (1995), and Blaze (2007).
One of my favourite books of all time was written under King’s pseudonym. And while versions of this story are now published under Stephen King, at the time, nobody knew it was he penning the novels.
So, which books left me sobbing, utterly inconsolable? It was ‘Blaze’ and ‘Elevation,’ and I didn’t expect tears to be shed at either of them.
Of course, I cried at ‘The Green Mile,’ you’d have to be a monster not to, but these two caught me completely off guard.
Blaze
Blaze is a novel by Stephen King, published in 2007 under his long-time pseudonym Richard Bachman. Although released in 2007, the book was actually written in the early 1970s, making it one of King’s earlier works that was not published until decades later.
Blaze tells the story of Clayton “Blaze” Blaisdell Jr., a mentally challenged small-time criminal. After the death of his partner-in-crime, George Rackley, Blaze decides to carry out their last plan: kidnapping the infant son of a wealthy family for ransom. Despite George’s death, Blaze continues to hear his voice in his head, guiding him through the crime. The novel traces Blaze’s tragic past, the kidnapping, and his attempts to evade the police.
All I can say is please, please, please, ignore the 3.77/5 review score on Goodreads and give this a go. If you’re someone who only reads books that are four stars and above, I’m going to need you to trust me with this one, because it’s worth it.
It’s not my favourite Stephen King book of all time, but it tugged on my heartstrings in a way that I’ve never felt before. The empathy I felt for Blaze was on another level.
His upbringing was rough, and as a result, he’s struggled as an adult. You should hate him, despise what he’s done, but King’s writing begs you to think a little deeper about it. Stop taking life at face value, and think more about why people behave the way they do.
Sometimes you don’t have to view the world in black and white, and it is in the grey areas that we find the most empathy for our fellow humans. I really resonated with that message!
Elevation
Again, only coming in with a 3.63/5 review rating on Goodreads, many may dismiss this book as not being worth their time, but you mustn’t.
It won a Goodreads choice award in 2018 for being ‘Readers’ Favourite Horror,’ which is a bit confusing, actually, as I found it more of a story about humanity, rather than horror.
The story follows Scott Carey, a middle-aged man who is experiencing a mysterious and unexplained phenomenon: he is steadily losing weight, but his appearance does not change. No matter how much he weighs on the scale, his body looks the same, and he can wear the same clothes. Even more strangely, objects he carries or touches lose weight along with him.
With its length, the book is certainly more of a novella. But so much is packed into the pages, and the ending shouldn’t have shocked me, but it did, and I was left heartbroken.
It will certainly hit you in the feels, especially with the way the character develops in such a short period of time.
I took from this novel that you should never take anything for granted. It’s so cliche, but you need to live every day to the fullest. Even if you’re going into the office to work, romanticise everything about your life – because one day, we’ll all be gone.